KBR blamed for system failure resulting in death

In another KBR matter, it has now been determined that military leaders and a major military contractor failed to protect a Green Beret who was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq. The Defense Department’s Inspector General made this determination last month. We had reported on the 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, which triggered the investigation by the IG. The investigation also reviewed 17 other electrocution deaths in Iraq. There were electrical inspections of about 90,000 U.S.-maintained facilities in Iraq, which are still ongoing. The Inspector General says in its findings that “multiple systems and organizations” failed and exposed Sgt. Maseth to “unacceptable risk.”

Last fall, Gen. David Petraeus, then the commander in Iraq, ordered an inspection of about 90,000 U.S.-maintained facilities in Iraq by a task force called Task Force SAFE. Of the 67,000 inspected so far, about 18,000 have been found to have major deficiencies. About 11,000 of the major deficiencies have been repaired. I have to wonder how much longer KBR will be allowed to secure military contracts and operate in the manner that has now been exposed in Iraq.